STOUT (voice-over): And we begin in India, where five men charged with the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman returned to court today.

Also a triple killing in Paris. Three Kurdish women are found shot in the head. And some are asking could there be a link to wider Kurdish nationalism?

And from dreaming a dream to turning it into reality. Can "Les Miserables" go all the way at the Oscars? We are live as the nominees are announced.

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STOUT: And first to India. Five men charged with the rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman last month went before a New Delhi court for the second time on Thursday. Now the session remained behind closed doors by the magistrate's orders after arguments erupted between observers during the first hearing on Monday.

And for more on this story, Sumnima Udas joins us now live from CNN New Delhi.

And Sumnima, this case is expected to be transferred to what's called a fast-track court. Tell us: how do they work?

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, the concept of a fast-track court was actually introduced by the government a long time ago just because of the massive backlog of cases, tens of thousands of them that never really see the light of the day.

But because of the absence of funding, those -- the number of those courts dwindle as did the cases. But because of the massive outrage after that gang rape, December 16 gang rape, five of these fast-track courts have been set up in Delhi. They plan to set up more across the country.

What a fast-track court means is that the court will be meeting every single day, every single working day for this particular case until some sort of verdict is reached.

STOUT: And, Sumnima, tell us more about this case has really sharpened the country's focus on the violence against women that happens every day there in India.

UDAS: That's right. That's perhaps one of the few positives coming out of this horrendous story, really. I mean, Kristie, crime against women was so common in India that they were really never reported in the local media here according to government data.

There were about 20,000 rape cases reported just in 2011, most of them, of course, are never reported because of the stigma attached to rape. And because of this added attention now, because of the international attention, the media here also is reporting these cases. Every day we're hearing new cases of rape and molestation, Kristie.

STOUT: All right. Sumnima Udas, on the story for us as always. Thank you very much indeed.

The woman was attacked and raped on a bus in New Delhi and she later died from her injuries. And her father spoke to British broadcaster ITV. Now his face has been blurred to protect the family's identify.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When she was born, my aunties and uncles always used to carry her around. Those were really lovely days.

Right from the start, her ambition was to be a doctor. Her main end was that our family wouldn't have to suffer any more. She wanted to (inaudible) difficult (inaudible).

I couldn't think what to do at that time.

I was like a bird without rings. I was neither here nor there. So when I thought she might get better, I used to get filled with some hope. When I was told that she might not get well and might have to have an operation, I felt uncomfortable. It was difficult for me. But when she was put on a ventilator, it gave me some hope that she would get better. I thought she might get better and she would live.

If possible, it would be nice to have some sort of law in her name. If a hospital or something nice can be named after her, too, at least something good could have come out of all of this. Or it's just all pointless.

She has brought an awakening to society. Society cannot any longer turn a blind eye to these sorts of incidents, which are happening every day. We have to change ourselves. If there is no change, then these horrible things won't stop. The public has to wake up now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: He calls her death "an awakening to society." And this case has provoked outrage around the world, but perhaps more importantly, it's inspired some men in India to change their own views toward women and push for greater gender equality.

Mallika Kapur reports.

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MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All over India, calls for change following the New Delhi gang rape that galvanized a nation. Women and men are demanding stricter laws, harsher punishment and a change in mindset, the mindset of the Indian male.

KAPUR: When you were in college, you say you used to misbehave with women?

KAPUR (voice-over): "Yes. If a girl were fast, I'd tease her," he says. "I'd look at her figure, her face, comment on her clothes and taunt her."

Shiseo Vio (ph) says his thinking today is very different from what it used to be when he was younger.

KAPUR: And what was your mindset at that time?

KAPUR (voice-over): "That girls were weak, that they would never ft back."

Gender inequality is deeply embedded in India's 5,000-year-old history. Its mythology, art, folk tales, textbooks are fully of stereotypical ideas and images of women. That equation is now changing.

VIBHUTI PATEL, SNDT WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY: Our women are also -- younger women are also increasingly entering the workforce, not only is this (inaudible) but also as a (inaudible).

KAPUR (voice-over): Patel says the more empowered Indian women get, the more insecure the men get, and that's resulting in a violent backlash against women. In 2011, more than 200,000 crimes were reported against women.

HARISH SADANI, MEN AGAINST VIOLENCE AND ABUSE: We have always seen men as a part of the problem. The attitudes are part of the problem. But unless men are seen as part of the solution, then (inaudible) address the root cause.

KAPUR (voice-over): (Inaudible) formed a group by men for men that conducts gender sensitization workshops.

(Inaudible), these students say, don't create women as playthings.

It was through workshops like this that Vio (ph) says he realized how chauvinistic he was. He says he doesn't even like to think about those days.

KAPUR: Would you ever misbehave with a woman now?

KAPUR (voice-over): "Never. Now I'll never do that."

That's one man's promise. He alone won't make a difference, but if thousands think like Vio (ph) does now, it could bring about a change these people are asking for, a society that's safe for all -- Mallika Kapur, CNN, Mumbai.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now the Pakistani military says Indian troops have killed a Pakistani soldier in the disputed region of Kashmir today. This comes just days after New Delhi says Pakistani troops crossed into the Indian- controlled area of Kashmir and killed two of its soldiers.

Now India's foreign secretary summoned the Pakistani High Commissioner on Wednesday and launched a strong protest. And Pakistan has denied India's claims.

Now to Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez was due to be sworn in today for another term in office. Instead, the supporters and several regional leaders are expected to attend an event in Caracas in his honor. We're looking at live pictures of that event on your screen.

Mr. Chavez has not been seen in public since he traveled to Cuba for cancer treatment last month. On Wednesday, the Venezuela Supreme Court ruled the president can begin a new term as planned but be sworn in later. (Inaudible) opposition leaders wanted him declared temporarily absent.

You're watching NEWS STREAM. And coming up next, three women shot, execution style, in Paris. Find out why an anti-terror unit is investigating these killings.

And after escaping Syria's civil war, more misery for these refugees. And we take you inside one camp where people are struggling with a fierce storm.

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STOUT: Now police in France are investigating the apparent execution of three Kurdish women and one is said to be a founding member of the Kurdish Workers Party or PKK. Now the women were killed in a central district in Paris, all shot in the head. And their bodies were found inside the information center for Kurdistan. And since then, several hundred Kurds have gathered at the scene.

And there have been calls for further demonstrations. Our senior international correspondent, Jim Bittermann, joins us now live from Paris.

And, Jim, how did these killings take place and exactly who are the victims?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as the interior minister himself, who used the execution phraseology, said that there's an execution-style assassination of these three women, among them perhaps the most leading figure was Sakine Cansiz, who was one of the founding members of the Kurdish (sic) Workers Party and perhaps the most -- the central victim in all of this.

All three women were shot in the head, two of them back of the head, one in the face and chest. And police are investigating exactly who might be responsible. We saw police at the scene a little earlier, taking out bags of evidence as well as the body bags that contained the bodies of the three women who were assassinated.

Basically the discovery was made about 2 o'clock this morning, shortly before 2:00 this morning. The women were not seen as they were -- normally would have been by their friends and colleagues. The office was locked and police had to break down the door in order to find the grisly scene inside.

The interior minister went straight to the scene and he talked to the press afterwards.

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MANUEL VALLS, INTERIOR MINISTER, FRANCE: I came here to this neighborhood, where three women were slain, killed, doubtless executed. This is a very grave matter. And this explains my presence. This is unacceptable. The investigation is only starting under the authority of the prosecutor's office and the anti-terrorist forces are involved to shed all possible light on this unacceptable act.

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BITTERMANN: And the police investigators are ruling out nothing in all of this, including perhaps an internal struggle within the Kurdish community itself, Kristie.

STOUT: And can you tell us more about that? I mean (inaudible) recognized as Kurdish activists, these three victims. Is that why they were killed?

BITTERMANN: Well, that's -- it's difficult to say why they were killed. There's a lot of possibilities here. And the police are -- and authorities are very hesitant to cast any suspicion in any particular direction.

But it should be said that Sakine Cansiz is -- was a very controversial figure within the -- within the Kurdish community, and had her own list of enemies who, among the Kurds, who perhaps might have wanted her killed, but also since she was such a leading figure in the Kurdish Workers Party and since the Kurdish Workers Party was involved in the liberation struggle for decades in Turkey, there's also some suspicion cast towards Kurds' traditional enemies in Turkey.

So it is a lot of possibilities at this point. And I think that the authorities are being very, very cautious because they don't want to send things running off in one direction or another.

STOUT: And there is a substantial Kurdish community living there in France. What has been the reaction on them to these killings?

BITTERMANN: Well, about 150,000 Kurds live in France. And after the word spread this morning -- and it spread very quickly because the crowd, by about 9 o'clock this morning, the bodies were only discovered at 2:00 -- by about 9 o'clock this morning there were several hundred people on the streets in front of that Kurdish information center. They have now dispersed.

But the Kurdish community is expressing all sorts of outrage. Some are saying that, in fact, (inaudible) French government. They could have been given more protection to such leading figures as those who were killed this morning.

So it is a varied reaction. And until the police really come up with somebody to blame here, though, I think it'll remain somewhat unfocused. There are calls for further demonstrations, though, down the line.

STOUT: (Inaudible) gruesome triple murder there in the French capital. Jim Bittermann reporting for us live, thank you, Jim.

Now let's turn to the plight of Syrian refugees and the winter weather is making conditions even more difficult in many camps. Families are living in cloth tents that do very little to keep out the cold. And this woman is using a coal stove to stay warm.

But others like this child in sandals do not have adequate clothing. And this woman is washing the dishes while sitting in the snow. And other areas have been hit by heavy snow.

Nick Paton Walsh visited this camp in northern Jordan.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Jordan, life was supposed to get better for these Syrians. (Inaudible) Zaatari camp, lives are collapsing all over again.

Water destroyed here his family's second home in four months. Fire lit by the regime destroyed their first in the city of Daraa.

"They destroyed everything," he says. "We left the house because it was burned."

"They destroyed the house," she says. "The police came in and burned it."

"There's water in the tent, inside, everywhere around. All our blankets are destroyed."

WALSH: They have lost their original homes to the war, but now in the dead of night, their new tents so often flooded with icy cold rainwater, causing thousands of people in this camp to seek drier areas, if at all possible, and still every night hundreds pour in, seeking refuge even here from the escalating violence inside Syria.

WALSH (voice-over): They pack up, hoping for new tents. But in these icy storms, without solid prefab housing, it's a matter of time until they may move again.

The U.N. say they can't afford to do more.

ANDREW HARPER, U.N. HCR REP TO JORDAN: We've got 20 percent of the population is under the age of 4. But we're getting children 5 days old, 9 days old, 10 days old. And they're coming across in these sort of conditions. We knew this was coming. We knew that the weather was going to get worse and (inaudible) last of the wet weather and the snow, unfortunately.

WALSH: Why isn't there more prefab housing, if you knew it was coming?

HARPER: (Inaudible) money. Simple as that. I can't -- our funding is about 25-50 percent of what we asked for.

WALSH (voice-over): So far, the U.N. insists, despite rumors flooding the camp, children are not dying of the cold. But they are simply holding back the tide. Snow is coming.

French soldiers providing medical care to those who reach their tiny field hospital.

STOUT: He's barefoot and it is brutally cold in Syria and throughout the Middle East. Let's get more now with Mari Ramos. She joins us from the World Weather Center.

Mari:

MARI RAMOS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Kristie, my heart breaks when I see those images like that. This is such a tragic situation for so many people there.

One of the things that I want to tell you is that we are going to see a little bit of an improvement in the temperatures short-term. But there is a (inaudible) long-term solution for so many people that are suffering there in a sense. It will continue to be cold. It is winter, after all.

But this large winter storm that has been affecting that area will begin to see a kind of like the tail-end of it at least as we head out into the weekend.

This is a picture from Gaza and a similar situation there, very heavy rain has been affecting that region.

I have some pictures to show you from Jerusalem where the snow has been (inaudible) in the city proper. We're actually pretty happy to see the snow because they say they haven't seen snow this heavy at least in the last 30 years. Sara Sidner reported earlier that they were about (inaudible). But there were about 4 inches of snow on the ground. May have been more.

It has been snowing significantly across this area, very heavy rain also across Lebanon, Jordan also reporting snow. And that's one of the concerns right there, those trees coming down because of the very intense winds that have been blowing throughout that region.

So this is a very large weather system, snowing anywhere from Turkey, very strong winds across northern Egypt, then that continues to move across the eastern Mediterranean.

If you come back over here to the weather map, a look at some of the temperatures that have been affecting the eastern Med. And a little bit better than yesterday, not too much, but a little bit better. It's still quite windy and I think yesterday and today were probably going to be the coldest days.

When you factor in the wind, that feels even colder and for those areas here, along the border with Turkey and then here along the border with Jordan, where so many refugees are, those areas are seeing some very extreme cold right now.

Compared to yesterday, this satellite looks a lot clearer, right? Like I said, the last of the snow is starting to fall here. We're going to see an improvement from west to east as we head through the next 24 hours. Most of the action then moving over toward eastern parts of Turkey, northern Iraq, northern Iran.

But this weather system is so large that it's also affecting areas well farther to the south. While in this region, the cold and the snow will slowly move away and the temperatures begin to rebound ahead of our next weather system farther down as we head over into northern parts of Saudi Arabia, the problem there -- now it's not snow like what we're seeing here over northern Iraq.

The problem there, and as we head into Kuwait City, is dust. Areas here have been reporting dust for the last couple of days, wind in some cases more than 50 kph. There you see it again, blowing sand and dust in Kuwait City, also as we head into southern parts of Iraq and even into northern parts of Saudi Arabia, all along the Gulf region, we're seeing reports of blowing sand and dust, all the way down over into the UAE.

And this is going to continue through the rest of the day today, unfortunately, as the last of this weather system continues to move on, that front continues to edge, make its way over toward Pakistan. So we may see some blowing sand and dust there as well. So a lot going on.

Last but not least, let me leave you with the pictures of Australia. We're seeing some temperatures here rebounding somewhat across the region and that's a little bit of good news there, a little bit cooler, I should say. But it's still very windy. One of the concerns that I have, Kristie, over the next 24-48 hours is, of course, the fire danger is still high. But the temperatures are going to start warming up again.

The other thing is, ahead of this next weather system, the winds are going to be on the increase. And that is a concern over the areas as well.

And the last thing is even though there's a cold front coming, this cold front seems to have a little bit more activity with it. We might get some rain associated with it.

But come back over here to the weather map. You see that right there? Some of this rain is coming down, also is giving us some thunderstorms. And whenever you get thunderstorms in such dry areas, it could spark new fires. So I know that that's got to be a concern for firefighters there as well. So we'll have to monitor that closely.

Back to you.

STOUT: That's right. All those conditions you just mentioned, it's like kindling for new potential blazes. Thank you so much for keeping the focus on the situation there, Mari Ramos.

Now you're watching NEWS STREAM. And still ahead in the program, quite a range of new technologies. We're talking about gadgets and gear, like indestructible cell phone cases, ultra HD TVs and iPhones that can do this and still work. We'll take you to Las Vegas and this year's Consumer Electronics Show.

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STOUT: Live from Hong Kong, this is NEWS STREAM. Now all week we've brought you a look at some of the many, many gadgets on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, from fancy new TVs to a smart fork. Yep, a smart fork.

And that range just sums up what CES is. It's a collection of everything from the technology that you might actually find in your home one day to the concepts that never make it off the convention floor.

Now let's go live to Las Vegas now. Our regular contributor, Nick Thompson of newyorker.com is attending CES. He joins me now live.

And, Nick, you're still in your hotel room, since it's very early in the morning there. But on the convention floor what is standing out for you there at CES?

NICHOLAS THOMPSON, NEWYORKER.COM: Well, I think one of the things that's standing out absolutely, well, first let's start with the thing that always stands out, is there are big, beautiful television sets, 4k televisions. There are amazing (inaudible) 4k (inaudible) televisions. They are huge. The picture looks incredible.

They have some problems. (Inaudible) content that's created for them. But (inaudible) the first thing you notice is the televisions.

STOUT: Also in addition to the televisions, what about the Internet of things, devices with IP addresses inside them?

THOMPSON: Well, oh, yes. So that -- I mean, this is like what you were talking about just a second ago, the fork with -- the fork with wi-fi enabled in it. So the fork, you know, you're eating and it tells you that you're eating too fast, right? We're moving to an era where all of our little devices have wi-fi in them, have chips in them. And they can talk to each other.

So you can have a refrigerator that tells you when you're running out of milk and then orders it. You can have -- I have a thermostat in my home, which was a (inaudible) last year, which you control by wi-fi. So there are hundreds of devices (inaudible). There's a lot of kitchen appliances right now with wi-fi enabled in them.

So a stove that will allow you to, you know, monitor it from away or control it from away. And that's big and that's exciting. A lot of things are being built into watches, right? Watches have traditionally been kind of neglected. They become objects of beauty. Now they're becoming objects (inaudible) information built into them.

So we're seeing a real progress in these smaller gadgets. So for so long, all of the energy and all of the innovation has gone into our phones and our tablets. Now it's going into all of these other things. And so that's a big trend here. (Inaudible) before you and I start eating with the -- with the crazy fork, but it's (inaudible).

(LAUGHTER)

STOUT: You know, the Internet of things, that's a big trend there at CES this year. And of course, you mentioned these big, beautiful screens. And just like last year, it seems everyone is pushing in ultra high-def 4k TV. The screens (inaudible) sharper, but is there any content for it?

THOMPSON: Well, that's the problem, right, is that it's -- these sort of the -- at CES, the screens that they always show up, there's really -- they're not practical at the moment, because no one's filming in ultra HD 4k. (Inaudible), we're filming this on a -- on a video camera in a hotel room.

How is that going to look -- it doesn't really matter whether you watched it on a good HD TV or whether you watch it on a 4k ultra TV. You need to have cameras that are set to film in that resolution (inaudible) really take advantage of those resolutions.

So it's just funny chicken-and-egg phenomenon that happens every year with these amazing televisions and that if you were actually to buy one of the best TVs that they show, you really wouldn't get any value out of it, because there would be nothing that you could watch. But there's still -- there's still -- they're still exciting.

What I care most about in televisions and what I'm most interested in and what actually isn't really showcased here as much is how the interface works, how well they connect with the Internet, how well they let you sort the content you want to watch. That's where there's real innovation (inaudible) happen. The screens are better. What really needs to happen is that the TVs (inaudible).

STOUT: There's CES. You can study the interface. You can also walk right up to the screen and just really appreciate the clarity of these 4k TVs. And that's what the show is all about, right? I mean, it's about touching and feeling the hardware, you know, the latest appliances and gadgets.

But, you know, it's increasingly a software world, an apps world. So is there some chatter there that CES is getting a little bit out of touch, a little bit irrelevant?

THOMPSON: Well, no, I mean, there -- yes and no. Yesterday (inaudible) software world. (Inaudible) appliances and hardware (inaudible) because (inaudible) software (inaudible) much faster than hardware because you can (inaudible).

But that said, there's still tons and tons of (inaudible) here. One big change, though, is very closely related to what you're saying, is that a lot of the big tech companies aren't here. And the reason they're not here is that because gadgets have become (inaudible) of our lives, CES is (inaudible).

And in the old days, if a tech company wanted to announce something, it would have to come to CES. You know, Microsoft (inaudible) connect there, whatever it was. (Inaudible). But now, (inaudible) the whole world (inaudible) gadgets, they can (inaudible) from CES. So I was -- yesterday I was (inaudible) showing off (inaudible). And this is (inaudible).

Now --

STOUT: And unfortunately, Nick, I'm going to have to wrap you there because I think this connection is just -- it's just not working, ironically. As we talk about CES. But we'll try to work on that next time.

But Nick Thompson there, joining us from (inaudible) computer in his hotel room there in Las Vegas, giving us earlier sort of the highlights of what he saw there on the showroom floor there at CES. But thank you so much, Nick, take care.

You are indeed watching NEWS STREAM. And up next, Hollywood is about to put months of speculation to rest by naming this year's Oscar nominees. And we'll take you live to that announcement when it happens.

STOUT (voice-over): Five men charged with the rape, kidnapping and murder of a woman traveling on a bus in New Delhi have appeared in court for a second time. And their case is expected to be sent to a special fast-track court. The victim's father, speaking on British television, says his daughter's death has, quote, "brought an awakening to society."

Now one of three women found shot dead in Paris overnight was said to be a cofounder of the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK. And French police say three bodies were discovered inside the information center for Kurdistan in the early hours of Thursday morning. A murder investigation is underway. The motive for the killings is not yet clear, but there are suspicions it was political.

And there's been a car explosion in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. A police spokesman tells CNN that the blast appears to be related to organized crime and not a terror attack. Reuters News Agency says several people have been hurt.

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STOUT: And we are just moments away from finding out this year's Academy Award nominees honoring the best in U.S. moviemaking. And we'll take you live to Beverly Hills for the official announcement. But first, Chris Mozingo has this preview.

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CHRIS MOZINGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Academy Award nominations are almost upon us and we are here to run down your Oscar buzz.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You really believe this story? Osama bin Laden?

MOZINGO (voice-over): While controversial, "Zero Dark Thirty" is considered a sure bet for a Best Picture nod.

Jessica Chastain, who stars as a determined CIA agent is likely to be nominated as Best Actress.

BEN AFFLECK: I need you to help me make a fake movie.

MOZINGO (voice-over): Another likely Best Picture nominee, "Argo" is also based on real events. Ben Affleck stars in the Iran hostage thriller and could be nominated for Best Director.

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MOZINGO (voice-over): Academy members love a big budget musical and "Les Miserables" will likely receive multiple nominations, including Best Picture. Stars Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway are both expected to be rewarded with Best Acting nominations.

"Lincoln" is another potential Best Picture candidate. Many Hollywood insiders believe Daniel Day-Lewis could win a third Oscar for his portrayal of the U.S. president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name?

JAMIE FOXX: Django.

MOZINGO (voice-over): "Django Unchained" has attracted some criticism for its violence and depiction of slavery. But the film, including director Quentin Tarantino and star Jamie Foxx will likely garner multiple nominations.

Other stars to watch: Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook" could both be up for Oscar gold. Costars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix could pick up nominations for their performances in "The Master."

And Quvenzhane Wallis, the 9-year-old star of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" could become one of Oscar's youngest nominees ever.

DANIEL CRAIG: 007 reporting for duty.

MOZINGO (voice-over): It's been a banner year for James Bond and "Skyfall" could be the first movie in the superspy franchise to win a Best Picture nomination.

STOUT: And this year's Oscar host himself, Seth MacFarlane, will join actress Emma Stone in announcing the nominees. Again, we will be taking you live to Beverly Hills, California, for that announcement. Stay with us.

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STOUT: And let's take you live to Beverly Hills, California. That is where nominations for the 85th Academy Awards are being unveiled. The host of the show, Seth MacFarlane, is joining the actress, Emma Stone, to make the announcements. So let's listen in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four, three.

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SETH MACFARLANE, WRITER AND COMEDIAN: Hi, there.

Good morning. I'm Seth MacFarlane, the host of the Oscars. If you don't know who I am, just pretend I'm Donny Osmond, you'll be fine. We'll get through this.

It's a great honor to be here to announce the nominees. I'm not sure why we don't wait till noon to do this, since the only people who are up right now are either flying or having surgery.

But I want to congratulate today's nominees and also to congratulate those who weren't nominated. You can stop doing interviews where you pretend that you had such a great time making the movie.

And here to help me out, since there's nothing creepier than a guy standing by himself in Hollywood at 5:00 in the morning is the lovely and talented Miss Emma Stone

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EMMA STONE, ACTRESS: Thank you, Seth.

Emma Stone is the star of the new film "Gangster Squad" -- that's -- I'm not sure you're the star. That seems more like an ensemble piece to me, (inaudible).

STONE: Keep reading.

MACFARLANE: The star of the new film "Gangster Squad" and is one of the brightest talents of her generation. Some say she's better than Meryl Streep.

Who? Who says that?

STONE: I don't know, nobody, a lot of people.

Let's just read the nominees.

MACFARLANE: OK.

STONE: OK.

MACFARLANE: The nominees will be read in no particular order.

STONE: For best performance by an actor in a supporting role, the nominees are Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained". He's won before.

Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Master". He has won before.

Robert De Niro in "Silver Linings Playbook". He's won before.

Alan Arkin in "Argo". He has won before.

And Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln." He's won before.

MACFARLANE: Breath of fresh air in that category.

STONE: For best original song, the nominees are "Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice," music and lyrics by J. Ralph.

"Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi," music by Mychael Danna, lyric by Bombay Jayashri.

"Suddenly" from "Les Miserables". Music by Claude Michel Schonberg, lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil.

"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from "Ted." Music by Walter Murphy. Lyric by Seth MacFarlane.

And "Skyfall" from "Skyfall," music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth.

MACFARLANE: That's kind of cool, i got nominated.

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MACFARLANE: How do you like that? I get -- I get to go to the Oscars.

STONE: Yes.

You know, the MTV awards once gave Michael Jackson a lifetime achievement award just so he would show up. So I'm not saying that's what's happening today, but -- I kind of am. I kind of am.

MACFARLANE: All right. All right.

The 2012 nominees for best performance by an actress in a supporting role are. Sally Field in "Lincoln;" Anne Hathaway in "Les Miserables;" Jacki Weaver in "Silver Linings Playbook;" Helen Hunt in "The Sessions" and Amy Adams in "The Master."

Congratulations; you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.

MACFARLANE: For best foreign language film, nominees are from Austria, "Amour" --

STONE: -- from Chile, "No" --

MACFARLANE: -- from Canada, "War Witch" --

STONE: -- from Denmark, "A Royal Affair" --

MACFARLANE: -- and from Norway, "Kon-Tiki"

I read "Amour" was coproduced by -- in Austria and Germany. Right? Well, last time Austria and Germany got together and coproduced something it was Hitler. But this is much better.

STONE: Much better.

MACFARLANE: I really recommend it.

STONE: So much better, yes.

MACFARLANE: (Inaudible).

STONE: For adapted screenplay we have Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin for "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; Chris Terrio for "Argo"; Tony Kushner for "Lincoln"; David O. Russell for "Silver Linings Playbook" and David Magee for "Life of Pi".

MACFARLANE: These are adapted screenplays, keep in mind. So that means the writers just basically copied stuff from Microsoft Word and pasted it into final draft. (Inaudible).

(LAUGHTER)

STONE: For best original screenplay, the nominees are John Gatins for "Flight"; Mark Boal for "Zero Dark Thirty"; Quentin Tarantino for "Django Unchained"; Michael Haneke for "Amour" and Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola for "Moonrise Kingdom".

MACFARLANE: For best achievement in directing the nominees are David O. Russell for "Silver Linings Playbook"; Ang Lee for "Life of Pi"; Steven Spielberg for "Lincoln"; Michael Haneke for "Amour" and Benh Zeitlin for "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

These are five people who are the very best at sitting in a chair watching other people make a movie.

STONE: The nominees for best performance by an actor in a leading role are Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln"; Denzel Washington in "Flight"; Hugh Jackman in "Les Miserables"; Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook" and Joaquin Phoenix in "The Master."

This is a just a little fun fact for you. Denzel's character was actually as drunk as half of the people who are up at this hour.

(LAUGHTER)

MACFARLANE: Guilty.

For best performance by an actress in a leading role, the nominees are Naomi Watts in "The Impossible"; Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty"; Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"; Emmanuelle Riva in "Amour" and Quvenzhane Wallis in "Beasts of the Southern Wild".

STONE: At 85 Emmanuelle Riva is the oldest Best Actress nominee in Oscar history. Quvenzhane Wallis is the youngest Best Actress nominee ever. She's 9.

And finally we are pleased to announce that the films selected as the Best Picture nominees for 2012 are "Beasts of the Southern Wild," Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, producers.

MACFARLANE: "Argo" has been nominated. Somebody tell Cranston he can unclench his teeth now.

Brian, I love you. Please join us at the Oscars Sunday, February 24th, to find out who will take home the Oscars.

STONE: Congratulations to all of the nominees.

(APPLAUSE)

STOUT: All right. And let's get some immediate reaction to those nominations now.

Matt Patches is the movie editor of hollywood.com. He joins us now live from New York.

And, Matt, I know you were listening in as well. And I was wondering for "Skyfall" to get a Best Picture nod. It did not. And we're also waiting for Ben Affleck to get a nod as well for Best Director. He didn't either.

Did that surprise you, those omissions?

MATT PATCHES, HOLLYWOOD.COM: A little surprising, if only because the British side of the awards season, the BAFTAs honored both of those. And "Skyfall," I have to settle for Best Song, which is pretty amazing, and you know, the Oscars are going to honor the Bond franchise. So maybe that's where they got their nod this year.

But it's a little bit of a surprise.

STOUT: Yes. And of all the films for Best Picture, which one do you think really has the shot to take Oscar home this year?

PATCHES: Well, you know what, I really thought that "Lincoln" was the front-runner when we -- before this announcement. Now because of some surprise announcements for "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and "Silver Linings Playbook," I think those are now big front-runners and big surprises and could possibly take the Best Picture at the end of the day.

STOUT: And let's talk about Best Actress.

There's an incredible lineup of women for Best Actress: Jessica Chastain for "Zero Dark Thirty," Jennifer Lawrence for "Silver Linings Playbook" and you just definitely mentioned, definitely one to watch, a very young actress, Quvenzhane Wallis for "Beasts of the Southern Wild," Emmanuelle Riva for "Amour," Naomi Watts for "The Impossible" -- who is your -- who is the favorite here?

PATCHES: Well, I think Jennifer Lawrence was the favorite going in and now that "Silver Linings Playbook" has made such an impact on the voters, she is a clear winner to me. I think after "Hunger Games" earlier this year, they want to give her something. She's a great star in the making.

And she's maybe not in the making. Maybe she's just a star now and we got to honor those young people who are going to kind of be Hollywood staples for a long time. I think she's pretty much got it at this point.

STOUT: Yes, Bradley Cooper of "Silver Linings Playbook," also named, got a nomination nod for Best Actor. And he's up against Daniel Day-Lewis for "Lincoln" and Hugh Jackman for "Les Miserables;" Denzel Washington was also named. So who do you think will be able to -- who stands out the most in your mind?

PATCHES: You know, Daniel Day-Lewis is so extraordinary in that role. He just disappears as Abraham Lincoln in Spielberg's film. But you know, I would have told you that he was the front-runner.

And now Bradley Cooper seems like he might have such a big opportunity here. He's extraordinary in that film, too, maybe not as flashy as Daniel Day-Lewis, but certainly bringing a lot to the table. And I think he's a major contender now that "Silver Linings Playbook" has kind of come out flailing around. It's a big contender.

STOUT: Just to be honest with you -- and maybe this is just my personal feeling -- I can't imagine Bradley Cooper losing to Daniel Day- Lewis, only because the Academy seems to be such a conservative force. Can you tell us more? I mean, who are the members of the Academy and how do they make these decisions on who gets the nomination, who wins?

PATCHES: Well, it's tough because they do want to honor younger talent. And Bradley Cooper, you know, this is going to be his first Oscar nomination. He tackled a very difficult role making someone with mental health issues funny, which is a brave performance.

But Daniel Day-Lewis is also kind of a keystone of Hollywood. They love honoring him. And he kind of -- he's exactly what they're looking for in a Best Actor, especially something like a Spielberg film about an important moment in history.

So I can see them siding with him again, because you just can't deny how good he is. But if they really want to kind of play to the next generation of Daniel Day-Lewises, maybe they'll throw it to Bradley Cooper. He definitely stands a chance.

But they might go back to Daniel Day-Lewis, as they have in the past.

STOUT: And (inaudible) the scenes about the lobbying effort. I mean, what kind of lobbying goes on in Hollywood to win over the Academy and to get the Oscar nod and eventually win a statuette?

PATCHES: Well, you know, Seth MacFarlane joked about Harvey Weinstein and he is a major force in Hollywood. He's the producer or one of the backers of "Silver Linings Playbook". And you can tell that he's been working the people.

That movie has not been that finally successful. But it has made an impact with voters. And it's apparent that, you know, "Lincoln" can make $100 million and "Silver Linings Playbook" doesn't have to anymore to kind of get the votes. So people are seeing the movie. And that's probably Harvey Weinstein making sure people see the movie.

STOUT: Yes. Seth MacFarlane, he definitely made quite a jab at Harvey Weinstein. He has a sense of humor which, you can say, is kind of an acquired taste. I mean, just then, we got a sense of his presentation style and his sense of humor. So with him hosting the show (inaudible) what kind of event should we expect?

PATCHES: Maybe a bit raunchier than usual. This is another play by the Academy to kind of get young audience members watching. And you know, it's always a struggle for them with the movies, too. If you have a slate of movies that no one's seen, why are new people or younger people going to watch?

But they're very lucky this year because Hollywood made a lot of good movies and they made a lot of money with those movies. And most people have seen them. So I think they're going to tune in.

And Seth MacFarlane has a respect for Hollywood. He loves old-school Golden Age Hollywood. So he knows how to be a good showman. So I think it's going to be kind of an old-school -- maybe Bob Hope. Seth MacFarlane might be the next Bob Hope. I'm just putting it out there.

STOUT: Yes. Yes, yes, yes, comparing him to Bob Hope. That's pretty old school there. Matt Patches at hollywood.com, it's been a pleasure talking with you, getting your immediate reaction. Thank you so much and take care.

PATCHES: Thank you.

STOUT: And just to wrap up there, the movie "Lincoln," it led the way with a total of 12 nominations, eight films had 11 nominations. Now let's move on to sports now and it's not a good time to be a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. Can they end their losing streak against the San Antonio Spurs? Alex Thomas will join us. He has the highlights next.

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STOUT: Welcome back. Now it has not been a vintage season for the Los Angeles Lakers. And after a high-profile game on Wednesday night their woes continue. Alex Thomas is in London. He's got all the details.

Alex?

ALEX THOMAS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, hi, Kristie. The Los Angeles Lakers' fifth defeat in a row leaves them 11th in the NBA's Western Conference and struggling to get into the top eight and qualify for the playoffs even with more than half of their regular season games still to play.

It could almost be called a crisis because Lakers fans are around three times more likely to see their team crowned champions than fail to reach the post-season.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS (voice-over): The latest setback for Kobe Bryant and Co. came against the San Antonio Spurs. No disgrace to lose to such a talented team. But this was a real struggle even though Kobe himself scored a game high of 27 points. Tony Parker (inaudible) the Spur with 24 points but let's take a look at Stephen Jackson with a 3 to put San Antonio 16 points ahead, although they led by 17 at one stage.

The Lakers did stage a fight back, Steve Nash to Antawn Jamison for the layup here to close within three of the Spurs. (Inaudible) San Antonio stayed in front (inaudible) with three of his 19 points on the night. The Lakers did have one final chance to get back into this game, but Kobe missed a field goal and (inaudible) who otherwise impressed with 13 rebounds. The Spurs take this one 108-105.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS: In football, (inaudible) racked up the 15th red card of his Real Madrid career, but the Spanish club still recovered from a first-leg deficit to reach the quarterfinals at the Copa Del Rey.

Manager Jose Mourinho failed to attend the post-match news conference after being given another rough ride by the Real fans and star forward Cristiano Ronaldo's appeal for unity at Portugal International brushed aside the disappointment of finishing runner-up yet again to Lionel Messi at FIFA's Ballon d'Or to score his third hat trick of the season and his 18th since arriving at the (inaudible).

Real beat Celta Vigo (inaudible) for a 5-2 victory overall.

The Oprah Winfrey Network is insisting that Lance Armstrong won't get an easy ride when he gives his first-ever TV interview since being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. A spokesperson said the disgraced former cyclist isn't getting paid, won't have any editorial control and no questions are off limits.

Although Armstrong's expected for the first time to make some admission of guilt over doping, this could prove a risky strategy because of the threat of perjury charges and financial penalties from pending lawsuits.

We'll have more in "WORLD SPORT" in just over three hours' time. For now, Kristie, back to you in Hong Kong.

STOUT: All right. Alex Thomas there, thank you.

And that is NEWS STREAM. But the news continues at CNN. "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" is next.